Hundreds of abortion-rights supporters ralied outside the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C, on May 13 to urge Republican legislators to sustain Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of new abortion restrictions. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
Judge Blocks Two Provisions of NC’s 12-Week Abortion Ban

The ruling does not affect the overall ban, but does temporarily halt measures that medical groups said were vague and medically unnecessary.

Thousands of educators filled Bicentennial Plaza during a rally for better pay in Raleigh, N.C. in 2018. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
NC Teacher Raises Don’t Keep Up With the Cost of Pencils

North Carolina ranks last or near last in many measures of public education spending. The new two-year budget could make these problems worse, educators say.

N.C. Rep. Abe Jones, U.S. Congressman Wiley Nickel of North Carolina and Cassandra Stokes of North Carolina Black Alliance attend a discussion on redistricting in Raleigh on Monday. (Michael McElroy/Cardinal & Pine)
Abortion Access and Rural Health Threatened by Partisan Gerrymandering

Republicans in the North Carolina legislature could create election maps that ensure party dominance for the next decade over several issues that affect day-to-day lives.

Security removes abortion rights protesters Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
NC Budget Gives $20 million to ‘Clinics’ That Lie to Women About Abortion

Unlicensed and unregulated crisis pregnancy centers offer “purposefully manipulative and deceptive practices” to dissuade patients from getting abortions, medical experts say.

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, center, speaks at a news conference about a Medicaid expansion agreement, Thursday, March 2, 2023, at the Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
North Carolina Finally Has a State Budget. Here’s What’s in It.

The budget offers a mix of good news on Medicaid, bad news for public schools, and weird news about judges, guns and plastic bags.

Voting rights advocates criticize Senate Bill 749 this month. The bill passed the House on Tuesday. (Michael McElroy/Cardinal & Pine)
NC House Republicans Pass Bill That Will Likely Cause Election Gridlock

Senate Bill 749 restructures the state boards of elections so that tied votes are inevitable and the Republican-controlled legislature has the power to break them. The North Carolina House passed a bill on Tuesday that replaces the state’s efficient, bipartisan and award-winning elections infrastructure with a system likely to create deadlock over important decisions and...

North Carolina Democrats have held several press conferences defending NC Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, including this one with Rep. Renée Price and other officials on Aug. 30. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)
NC Supreme Court Justice Says Investigation Violates Her First Amendment Rights

Anita Earls, the only Black woman on the North Carolina Supreme Court, is being investigated by the state judicial watchdog for criticizing the court’s lack of diversity. In June, the only Black woman on the North Carolina Supreme Court described the lack of diversity in the state court system and said she’d often felt “very...